The Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, started in 1970 under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Since its inception the programme has been endeavoring to improve the quality of technical education in the country. One of the major objectives of the programme is to upgrade the expertise and capabilities of the faculty members and generate climate for research and enthusiasm for academic excellence of engineering institutions. From 1994, the programme has been transferred under AICTE and being run and monitored by National QIP Coordination Committee constituted by AICTE. Through its Curriculum Development Cell, this programme has also been involved in making efforts to upgrade the teaching curricula and enhance the knowledge of teachers of various engineering colleges/ institutions. There are eight major QIP centres including IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT, Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee and IISc Bangalore in the country. In addition, there are 19 minor centres. There are three main activities under the QIP programme:

1. Degree Programmes (M.Tech and Ph.D)

Providing opportunities to the faculty members of the degree level engineering institutions to improve their qualifications by offering admissions to Masters and PhD programmes. Since January 1988, advanced admission programme has been introduced where candidates selected in a PhD programme under the QIP are asked to spend total of 60 days in the year before they formally join. During this period the candidates are supposed to identify the prospective supervisor and familiarize them with possible research topics. In 1998-99 PhD in management courses was also included.

2. Short Term Courses

A number of short term courses are organized under QIP for the benefit of the faculty members from engineering institutions.

3. Curriculum Development Cell Activities

The curriculum development cells were set up to help preparation and revision of monographs, text books, teachers’ manuals, teaching aids and other resource material. In addition, the activities include organizing seminars, workshops and inter-institutional programmes related to development of methodologies for formal and informal training.
The activities have proven popular and useful.

Continuing Education Programme (CEP) at IIT Delhi was set up for manpower training and knowledge up-gradation requirements of industrial and other organizations.

CEP offers a range of short term courses with the following objectives:

(a) to train the officers of government organizations
(b) to disseminate new knowledge on subjects of topical interest
(c) to provide refreshers courses for engineers in the industry, and
(d) to provide opportunities to learn advanced topics in different areas

These courses are generally sponsored by government, public and private organizations. In addition, there are web based courses run in a distance mode in collaboration with industrial partners for executive development programme by the department of management studies.

CEP has taken a new initiative of starting Summer Faculty Research Fellow programme since 2008. The main objective of this programme is to help in inducing and inculcating research culture among the faculty of engineering and science institutes outside IIT system. The visiting faculty fellows stay in IIT Delhi during the summer and work with a faculty mentor who is a regular faculty of IIT Delhi.

IIT Delhi has also started its distance education programme for imparting some of the CEP programmes to remote locations using technology.

The QIP and CEP both are administered and coordinated by a professor in-charge along with some supporting staff. There is also an advisory and a standing committee which help and guide to the functioning of the programmes.